Stopper rod



April 2 1940- E. E. sLlcK 2,195,791

STOPPER ROD Filed June 13, 1938 '/6 'ZZ'C,

INVENTOR Patented Apr. 2, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT uOFFICE STOPPER ROD Edwin E. Slick, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Application June 13, 1938, Serial No. 213,538

6 Claims.

This invention relates to stopper rods and more particularly to the protection of such rods which carry the stopper element for the teeming opening of a ladle forhandling and pouring molten i metal, more particularly iron or steel, to produce ingots or in the molding of other bodies or objects of metal.

, Y Due to the intense heat of the molten metal, it is necessary to line the usual metal body of the 10 ladle with fire clay or other suitable refractory or non-.fusible material and the teeming opening through which the molten metal is poured is also lined or provided with a nozzle member of refractory material. The' opening in the ladle is l controlled by a non-fusible stopper element Whose component material usually includes graphite as its principal ingredient, and to protect the metal rod, on which the stopper element is mounted, from the intense heat of the molten metal in the l "20 ladle a sheathing of refractory material has been provided about the rod. Notwithstanding this protective provision, however, warping and deterioration of. the rod occurs which makes its useful life of short duration.

.1'2'5 The prime object of the invention, therefor,

is to provide a protective sheathing for the rod which will sufficiently prevent fusion and warping thereof and materially prolong the life of its usefulness.

'30 Other particular objects and advantages to be attained will hereinafter more fully appear in vthe following description.

The invention consists in the novel general sheathing structure and in the particular parts 3'5 and combinations and arrangements of parts thereof in the'l application of the sheathing to the stopper rod as hereinafter described and set forth in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing illustrating a practical adaptation of the invention, and in which,

Figure 1 is aA view showing the stopper element and adjoining sheathing members in longitudinal section and the adjacent rod portion and attach- 45 ing means in elevation, the section being taken substantially on the line I-I of Figure 2;

Figure 2 is a transverse section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1; and,

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional View illus- 50 trating a modification of the particular internal formation of the sheathing for centering the rod therein. V Referring now to the drawing, the numeral Ill designates the stopper element, which is made 55 of the usual refractory or non-fusible material,

such as graphite, lire clay or the like. As shown, the stopper element is of general cylindrical form and has a rounded end portion II to seat in the teeming opening or pouring nozzle of the ladle. However, as faras the present invention is conr5 cerned, the stopper element itself may be of any approved form and attached to the rod in any desirable manner. In the present illustrative adaptation of the invention, the rod, designated b-y the numeral I 2, is provided with an axial socket I3 in its lower end portion for the reception of a headed bolt or stud I4 which is inserted through an axial bore I5 in the stopper element I0, the bore I5 being countersunk, as at I6, to a considerable depth from the lower end of the l5` stopper element for the reception of the head I1 of the bolt.

The bolt or stud I4 is fastened in the rod I2 by a fiat key member I8 which is driven into aligned longitudinally elongated slots provided therefor in the adjacent end portions of the rod and inserted bolt. As shown, the rod I2 is provided at its lower end with an integral collar I9 of considerably larger /diameter'than the rod, and the stopper element IIJ is provided at its 25 inner end with a tapered boss 20 having an end face of substantially the same diameter as the i collar I9 of the rod I2 which it abuts with an interposed filling 2l of refractory cementitious material. A filling of similar cementitious ma- 43() terial 22 is provided between the head I'I of the bolt or stud I4 and the bottom of the counterbored recess I6 in the stopper member I0.

' Surrounding the rod I2 is a sheath comprising a plurality of sleeves of refractory material which abut each other with an interiitting and laterally interlocking arrangement, said sleeves having bores of considerably larger diameter than the rod I2 and being spaced from the rod as will presently more fully appear,

The lowermost sheathing unit or protective sleeve, designated by the numeral 23, is provided with a counterpart tapered recess 24 to receive the tapered'boss or pin extension 20 of the stopper member I0 with suiiicient annular clearance 4:5 therebetween for the accommodation of a continuation 25 of the cementitious material 2l that is provided between the end face of the boss or pin extension 20 and the collar I9 on the rod I2.

The recess 24 in said refractory sleeve 23 is 50 rial, Preferably, however, the surrounding annular meeting end portions of the sleeve 23 and the stopper element l0 abut in direct flatwise Contact with each other, as at 21.

A somewhat similar intertting and laterally interlocking engagement is provided between the upper end of the protective sleeve 23 and the meeting lower end of the next adjacent sleeve member 2B, that is to say, the sleeve member 23 is provided with a tapered annular end extension 2S surrounding its central bore to iit within a counterpart recess 3D provided therefor in the sleeve member 28 with an interposed binder of refractory cementitious material 3l between the adjacent tapered annular faces and abutting inner annular faces, as at 32, the abutting outer annular end faces being in direct contact with each other, as at 33. This provision is carried out in the joining of the protective sleeves throughout the extent of the rod.

In order to center the rod l2 to maintain the spaced relation between the rod and the surrounding wall of the bore in the protective sleeve member 23 as well as the other sleeve members 28 of the assembly, protuberances are provided at intervals and in opposed relation to each other on the face of the bore so as to project radially inward to engage the circumference of the rod I2 without appreciable surface contact, said pro tuberances being obviously tapered so as to have relatively sharp bearing points or edges.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the spacing protuberances are in the form of elongated ribs 34 of substantially V-shaped cross section and extending entirely from end to end of the sleeve in diametrically opposite relation to each other, by which provision a corresponding number of diametrically opposed elongated spaces 35 are provided, which may be left open as dead air spaces or have a filling of suitable insulating material therein if desired. However, with sufficient body to the refractory sheathing sleeves and the respective longitudinal channels 35 properly proportioned to provide ample dead air space the rod will be adequately insulated from the excessively high temperature of the molten contents of the ladle to prevent it being fused or even becoming warped, especially as the rod is centered in the protective sleeves by the provision of the pointed or sharp edged protuberances or rib portions 34 which engage the rod with surface contact area which is practically nil and eliminates the possibility of any high degree of heat transmission to the rod through the body of the refractory protective sleeve.

In Figure 3 a modification of the means for centering the rod within the protective sheathing is illustrated where, in lieu of the sharp edged or pointed protuberances 34, either in longitudinally elongated rib arrangement or as a plurality of separate studs or knobs, the several sleeve members 23 and 28 may be provided at one or both ends, or at intervals throughout their length with internal annular shoulders or ribs 38 so as to provide annular dead air spaces 3i instead of the longitudinally elongated spaces 35, as in the herein first described modification illustrated in Figures l and 2. In other respects both modifications may be substantially identical.

While the structural modifications herein illustrated and described embody practical adaptations of the invention, it is obvious that considerable further modification and alteration may be made, particularly in the general form and arrangement of the refractory protective sleeve elements and the particular form and arrangement of the rod centering protuberances, without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims. The invention, therefore, is not limited to the specific construction and arrangement shown in the accompanying drawing.

What is claimed is:

l. In a stopper structure of the character described, a rod having a conventional non-fusible stopper member attached to its end, and a refractory sheathing surrounding said rod in sealed relation to said stopper member, said sheathing being maintained in internally spaced relation to the rod in a major degree and having opposed supporting protuberances for centering the rod with relation to the sheathing, said protuberances engaging the rod without appreciable surface contact.

2. In a stopper structure of the character described, a rod having a conventional non-fusible stopper member attached to the end thereof, and a protective sheathing surrounding said rod, said sheathing comprising a series of tubular refractory members joined endwise in interfitting and laterally interlocked sealed relation to each other, one of said tubular refractory members next adjacent the stopper member having an intertting and laterally interlocked sealed connection with said stopper member, the core opening of said tubular refractory sleeve members being of larger diameter than the rod and having opposed protuberances reduced from their bases to have inappreciable surface contacts with the rod whereby to center the latter in the sheathing and eliminate heat transmission to the rod through the sheathing.

3. In a stopper structure of the character described, a rod having a conventional non-fusible stopper member attached to the end thereof, and a protective sheathing surrounding said rod, said sheathing comprising a series of tubular refractory members joined endwise in intertting and laterally interlocked sealed relation to each other, one of said tubular refractory members next adjacent the stopper member having an intertting and laterally interlocked sealed Connection with said stopper member, the core opening of said tubular refractory sleeve members being of larger diameter than the rod and having a plurality of pointed protuberances engaging the rod radially and in opposed relation to each other whereby to center the rod in spaced relation to the wall of the core opening of the sheathing members.

4. In a stopper structure of the character de scribed, a rod having a conventional non-fusible stopper member attached to the end thereof, and a protective sheathing surrounding said rod, said sheathing comprising a series of tubular refractory members joined endwise in interfitting and laterally interlocked sealed relation to each other, one of said tubular refractory members next adjacent the stopper member having an intertting and laterally interlocked sealed connection with said stopper member, the core opening of said tubular refractory sleeve members being of larger diameter than the rod and having a plurality of protuberances engaging the rod radially and in opposed relation to each other whereby to center the rod in spaced relation to the wall of the core opening of the sheathing members, said protuberances being in the form of sharp-edged longitudinal ribs extending from end to end of the respective tubular refractory i Amembers whereby to support the rod in its -censurface for centering the rod therein and forming ing, said-sheathing comprising a plurality of vsleeves of refractory material nterfitted endwise and sealed .with relation to each other, said sleeves 10 having internal projections of small rod-engaging character described," having a surrounding spaced insulating sheathan air space between the rod and the sheathing.

6. A stopper rod having a tubular refractory sheathing of larger internal diameter than'the diameter of the rod, and supporting members interposed between the rod and sheathing at intering members having rod-engaging surface of small area.

.vals throughout the length thereof, said supportt t EDWIN E. sLIcK. 1o` 

